Category: CD QuickTakes (Page 71 of 149)

Chris Ayer: Don’t Go Back to Sleep

August 14, 2009 /

In the grand scheme of the music industry in 2009, you might ask the question, “Who needs another Teddy Geiger/Jason Mraz/Jack Johnson hybrid?” But singer/songwriter Chris Ayer, though he might fit that exact model of hybrid, is not just another one of them trying to rise above the pack. His latest, Don’t Go Back to Sleep, is Ayer’s sixth album since 2003. Sure, it’s jangly and sure, it sounds like amped-up coffeehouse fare much of the time, but here is something Ayer has that allow us to mention him in the same breath as those guys above without flinching—really good songs. And it’s those songs that will keep you listening to this album and keep you tapping your feet and bopping in your chair like a kid who ate too much candy. It’s also ironic that the Brooklyn-based Ayer recorded this album in Nashville, a city that claims to be about the song but churns out way too much crap—and many of these tunes are better than the bulk of Music City’s collective output. Much of Don’t Go Back to Sleep is similar in tone and tempo, but there really are no clunkers on here. The best of the bunch, though, are the uber-catchy “Lost & Found” and “Pretty Poison,” but don’t overlook the beautiful guitar/vocal gem, “In the Silence.” (LABEL: Another Record Company)

Chris Ayer MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Reggae, Rock

stellastarr*: Civilized

August 14, 2009 /

The latest from New York City based indie rock band stellastarr* (yeah, that’s how they spell it – no caps and that silly asterisk) is more of what you may have come to expect from them if you have followed them at all. The album, called Civilized and released on the band’s own Bloated Wife imprint, has the same elements of glam, new wave and punk that have lifted bands like the Cure and more recently, the Killers, to lofty heights. And while those comparisons may have black lipstick and nose-ring-wearing types to hit “download,” they should temper their expectations because these songs just don’t measure up. The band is undoubtedly talented, playing their instruments with precision and conviction, but at times lead singer Shawn Christensen just over-emotes to the point of it being like nails on a chalkboard. And most of the melodies, if you call them that, are not very memorable. The exceptions are the Cure-ish anthem “Tokyo Sky,” and “Move On,” which may remind you of another ‘80’s band, OMD. So while we’re not saying you should avoid stellastarr* like the bird flu, just don’t get your hopes up too high for this latest effort. (LABEL: Bloated Wife)

stellastarr* MySpace Page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Emo, Rock

The Rifles: Great Escape EP

August 7, 2009 /

More chirpy Brits, to which we say, bring ’em on. This London quartet is a strange blend of modern-day Anglo pop rock (think Arctic Monkeys, Hard-Fi, the Kooks) with the ’80s blue collar rockers like the Del Fuegos, not that any of those comparisons will matter as you’re pogoing your brains out to “I Could Never Lie.” “A Love to Die For” will make Ray Davies beam with pride, and these are the songs that didn’t make the cut for the band’s full-length debut, which is also inconveniently called Great Escape. The EP’s title track has one of those instantly familiar vocal lines (no wonder NME loves these guys), and there is no denying the power in the way the band economizes in both their playing and their writing. We’re ready for a second helping, please. Nettwerk 2009

The Rifles MySpace page
Click to buy The Rifles: Great Escape EP

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Pop, Rock

The Octopus Project: Golden Beds EP

August 7, 2009 /

Patton Oswalt joked that Austin was one of those cities that lives in a magical bubble that protects its residents from the chaos and the muck that surrounds them (“You mean I can’t pay for a sandwich with a song?”), and this five-track EP by playful electronic enthusiasts Octopus Project, their first effort since 2007’s Hello, Avalanche, bears that out. Leadoff song “Wet Gold” rocks a Theremin and boy-girl vocals to a beat that Stereolab would have killed for, but the band launches a full-on guitar assault on follow-up track “Moon Boil.” They finish the EP with three instrumentals (!), ranging from trippy (“Rorol”) to pogo-tastic (the Death Cab-esque “Wood Trumpet”). It’s the work of a band with a love for all things pop but a healthy disregard for all things popular. Lord knows we could use a few more bands like that these days. Peek-a-Boo 2009

Octopus Project MySpace page

Ambient, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews, Electronica, Instrumental, Pop, Rock

Marcy Playground: Leaving Wonderland…in a Fit of Rage

August 7, 2009 /

A new album from the “Sex and Candy” guys in 2009? Mama, this surely is a dream. Only here’s the thing – it isn’t an entirely unpleasant one. Even for listeners who rejected the band’s sole big hit out of hand, and aren’t interested in ‘90s nostalgia besides, the new Leaving Wonderland…in a Fit of Rage should prove a pleasant surprise, mixing head Playgrounder John Wozniak’s chief strengths (specifically, Cobain-influenced folk grunge balladry and lyrics that fly cheerfully in the face of reason) with a sunnier, more fleshed-out sound – not to mention plenty of hooks. The band – or what’s left of it, anyway; this was originally supposed to be a Wozniak solo effort, before more commercially oriented heads prevailed – can still sometimes sound like they’ve been listening to too much Stone Temple Pilots, as on “Devil Woman,” but for the most part, Wonderland presents a picture of a songwriter who has evolved far beyond the sound that made him famous. Some tracks, like the mildly dance-y “Star Baby,” or “Gin and Money,” with its sampled shuffle beat and slinky, circular rhythm, sound so far removed from “Sex and Candy” that it’s a little hard to believe they’re the work of the same guy. Heck, “I Must Have Been Dreaming” even swings a little. Marcy Playground’s commercial moment has passed, but for the faithful – or anyone willing to take a chance on the post-platinum musings of a one-hit wonder – this is a surprisingly solid little pop record. (Woz 2009)

Marcy Playground MySpace page

Alternative, CD QuickTakes, CD Reviews

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2026 Eat Sleep Drink Music

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑